FOREIGN POLICY
Trump’s messaging translates to: ‘The US is overextended’
Donald Trump is not the first imperial leader at the helm of a waning superpower to try square the circle, writes Anthony Butler
The key contenders for the presidency of the ANC have lost no time weighing in on the strategic implications of Donald Trump’s election as the 45th US president. Speaking last week in Davos, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa endorsed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s defence of international economic integration. SA has to follow China’s example, Ramaphosa said, and learn how to "swim in the globalisation ocean". Outgoing AU Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, meanwhile, bemoaned the threat of global protectionism and called for Africa’s much-touted continental free trade area to be kick-started. The government has wisely maintained a diplomatic silence, perhaps because it is difficult to predict the direction of US foreign policy under Trump. Only one geopolitical forecasting guru, George Friedman, has persuasively translated Trump’s tweets and utterances into a reasonably consistent foreign policy framework.According to Friedman, Trump’s "core strategic argument" is that the...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.